"The essence of sculpture is for me the perception of space, the continuum of our existence." Isamu Noguchi (1904&ndash;1988) was one of the twentieth century's most critically acclaimed …

image c/o Lizzie Himmel

"The essence of sculpture is for me the perception of space, the continuum of our existence."

Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) was one of the twentieth century's most critically acclaimed artists, although he was not recognized in the US until after 1938. During his lifetime, he created sculpture, gardens and fountains, furniture and lighting designs, ceramics, architecture, playgrounds and plazas, and set designs. In 1985, Noguchi opened a museum in Long Island City to display what he considered to be representative examples of his life's work. The museum is housed in a converted building, a former gas station, and connected to another building and interior garden–all designed by Noguchi–and holds the world's largest and most extensive collection of his sculptures, drawings, models, and designs.

We had the pleasure of a private tour* of the museum with Associate Curator Matt Kirsch. He spoke to us about Noguchi's personal and professional history, his vision, his methods of working and the materiality of his sculptures. Noguchi's work is often described as subtle and bold or traditional and modern. His passion and inspiration was to create and enhance public space through sculpture. Some of us were inspired enough by Noguchi's work to create our own imagery by entering a sculptor's world through a lens. Enjoy...

*A special thank you to Jessica Mak, Development Manager at the museum for arranging our visit.